Former NFL agent received his union certification despite being under federal indictment for fraud

Yahoo! Sports | Feb 14

One year ago, Everette Scott was under federal indictment for fraud. Months after that indictment, the NFL Players Association certified him to continue his career as an NFL agent. Now he has been convicted and is scheduled for sentencing in September, and the NFLPA is declining to comment on it.Scott and a co-defendant were convicted early last week of defrauding investors of more than $5 million, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. Scott was found guilty on one count of securities fraud and two counts of wire fraud, after he and his his co-defendant Tryone Gilliam solicited and misappropriated investor funds that Gilliam used to buy luxury cars, jewelry, and other items. Prosecutors also said Scott and Gilliam produced falsified bank records and made false statements to investors in an attempt to conceal the fraud.Despite the charges against Scott, the NFLPA decided he was fit to remain an agent, re-approving him for business after the lockout and decertification of the union in the spring of 2011. Three sources familiar with the NFLPA's recertification said the vetting process for agents was not fully completed until late spring of 2012 – long after Scott’s troubles began with the U.S. government.Asked about Scott’s indictment and his subsequent NFLPA approval to remain a certified agent, spokesman George Atallah responded, “Thank you for your email. I will not be answering any questions from you at this time. The NFLPA officially declines comment.”According to a document obtained by Yahoo! Sports, NFLPA officials were also anonymously emailed on Feb. 15, 2012, with a link to Scott’s indictment and a note of concern about his standing as a certified agent.While federal authorities indicted Scott in January of 2012, the union allowed him to represent players for another nine months, until Scott’s certification eventually lapsed on the way to his conviction. Scott was first certified by the NFL Players Association in 1995 and negotiated sixteen contracts over the course of his career.